Automatic telephone dial



.yune H 1926., 7 1,586,995

F, w. HOWARD AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE DIAL Filed Oct. 29, 1925 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 amvwwcoz:

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June 1 1926.

F. W. HOWARD AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE DIAL Filed Oct. 29, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 QM I June 1;, 1926.. 156,995

F W. HOWARD AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE DIAL Filed Oct. 29, 1925 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ,E/Y ii 22 22 PR5 oPERA'rOR 7 Tuv WM .8 a aw:

$35 if? aM mw Patented June 1, 1926.,

UNITED STATES V, 1,586,995, PATENT, OFFICE.

mm: W. HOWARD, 01' NEW YORK, N. 1., AQBIGNOR O l OHE-IO'UBTE '10 BAIUEL 2.,

09111708, HAILEWOOD, NEW J'EBS 51mm, or raw roux, n. Y.

EY, AND THREE EIGH'I'EG '10 JOSEPH AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE DIAL.

Application fled October 28, 1985. Serial Io. 85,028.

My improvements relate to automatic telephone dials, so called, provided in conjunction with'subscribers transmitters andare desi ed to facilitate the use thereof by visualizlng morev clearly and effectually the call letters and numerals furnished for the purpose of attaining desired telephone connections in a manner now well known in the art,-the invention consisting in the specific construction, combination and arrange? ment of component parts and appurtenances described and claimed, and distinctive features being the employment of an. auxiliary elasticresilient call designation plate in con junction with the usual apertured finger plate, and in imposing illuminated call letters and figures on said auxiliary elastic resilient designation plate, together with a transparent protective medium, all as here inafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings I illustrate a practical embodiment of the essential features of my invention in conjunc-' tion with" a telephone transmitter equipped with an automatic signal dial of well known character, although I do not limit myself to the identical construction ofparts shown by way of exemplification, since changes may be'made in minor details, and equivalent mechanical expedients resorted to with like results, and without departing from. the I spirit and intent of my invention in this respect.

With this understand1ng/:'-

' Fig. 1, represents a side elevationof a tel ephone transmitter having my improvement embodied with the signal dial;

Fig. '2, is a view of the base of the transmitt'er and signal dial, the latter equipped with my auxiliary designation plate and illustrating the function thereof;

Fig. 3, is a top view of the signal dial shown in the preceding figures;

Fig. 4, is a view of the dial post, the dial plate being removed therefrom;

Fig. 5, is a face view. of my auxiliary dial late- I P Fig 6, a section thereof taken upon plane of line 6-6, Fig. 5; y H Fig. 7, is a face view of the transparent face plate which is superposed on said auxiliary dial plate;

Fig. 8, is a section thereof taken upon plane of line 8-8, Fig. 7;

Fig. 9, is a face view of the dial II P. 9; r Fig. 10, is a section thereof, takenupon plane of line 10-.- 10, Fig. 9;

. Flg. 11, is a'sectional elevation showing the relation of my auxiliary dial plate to the finger plate and other automatic signal mechanism; I Fig. 12, is a face view of a modified form of my auxiliary dial plate;

Fig. 13, is a face view of the finger plate 05 and cap, showing means whereby the modified form of auxiliary dial plate shown in Fig. 12, is .held in position as related to the finger plate; Flg. 14, is asection taken upon plane of line 14-14, Fig. 13;

Fig. 15, shows another modification in the construction of my auxiliary dial plate; Fig. 16, is a detail section taken upon plane of line 1616, Fig. 15; Fig. 17, shows still another modification 1n the construction of auxiliary dial plate Fig. 18, is a detail section taken upon. plane of line. 18-18, Fig. 17;

Fig. 19, shows a plain elastic resilient plate for the support of the dial ring shown in Fig. 21; Y

. Fig. 20, is an edge view of the plate shown I in Fig. 19;

Fig.,21, is .a face view of 'a' dial ring for superposition on the plate shown in Fig. 19; Fig. 22, is a section taken upon plane of line 22-22, Fig. 21.

The usual automatic call mechanism A,

is installedv in and on the basic support of the transmitter T, as heretofore, a, repre senting the protuberant annular rtion thereof, and a, the parallel sided e ongate post thereon formed with the screw stud a for en agement with the nut a, by which the finger plate F, is held in position, as will be seen by reference more particularlyto Fig. 11,0f the drawings, 0, being the cap .attached to' the finger plate F, for

the concealment of the aforesaid post a,

screw stud a and nut a".

The finger plate F, is formed with the usual concentric series of finger holes 7, f, and with the central elongate slot f, to accommodate the post a, of the automatic mnechanism, and also with the minor slots f, f, for the accommodation of the attaching lugs c, of the cap 0.

As heretofore known in the art, the dial numerals and letters have been imposed on the upper surface a", of the casing of. the automatic signal mechanism A, and have been viewed through the holes f, f, in the finger plate F. This method of display and observation of dial marks has its disadvantages in that the said marks, owing to their distance below the finger plate F, are difficult to identify, are apt to be in shadow, more or less, and are not visible in darkness or semi-darkness, requiring strong adjzgient light to render them operativelyavall a e.

The main object of my invention is to obviate this difiiculty by exposing the index characters directly at and through the holes g, in the finger plate F, and this I accomplish y imposing them on an auxiliary dial plate D, of elastic resilient material positioned directly underneath the finger plate F, the elastie resilience of this auxiliary dial plate admitting of depression in part by the' insertion of a finger end, or equivalent, into a hole f, in the finger plate F, as indicated in Fig. 2, of the drawings for the urpose of effecting the partial rotation o the said finger plate F, until arrested by contact of the finger, or equivalent, with the stop a, (shown in Fig. 3) in'usual way, the resilience of my auxiliary dial plate D, causing the de ressed portion thereof to resume its normai position against the under side of the'finger plate F,.as soon as relieved of pressure.

. Figs. 5 and 6, show one form of my auxiliary dial plate D, which may consist of any suitable elastic material such as thin sheet metal, celluloid, or even fibrous material in sheet disc form, with the in- .dex characters imposed on its upper surface, said disc D, being also formed with apertures d, (P, (Z coincident with the apertures f, f F, in the finger plate F. Figs. '7 and 8-, show a very thin transparent elastic resilient plate D, formed with apertures coincident and identical with the apertures (1', cl, (Z in the auxiliary index plate D, said transparent plate D, being superposed on the face of the auxiliary dial plate D, for

the protection of the index characters from 4 direct contact with the finger, or other means used to effect the desired rotation of the finger plate F. Or in lieu of this transparent face plate D, for my elastic resilient dial plate, any transparent medium may be applied directly to the face thereof, as may be found most expedient.

In the modification of the elastic resilient dial plate D, shown in Figs. 12, 13 and 14, said plate D, is slotted radially to admit of fitting around the protuberant annular portion a, of the automaticcall mechanism A, and in this case the elastic resilient dial plate D, is connected with the finger plate F, by

means of a coupling member e, the bent ends e, e, of which function as coupling pins extending through the end finger holes flj, of the plate F, and into perforations (i -,2. .3, made for the purpose in the dia-l plate D, as shown more particularly in Fig. 14, of the drawin s.

The modification illustrated in Figs. 15

and 16, of the drawings consists in forming the elastic resilient dial plate D,- with face protuberances d, fitting intothe finger holes 7, f, in the plate F, and in imposing the index characters upon these annular protuberances as indicated. in Fig. 15, the in- I dex-characters being protected by a suitable facing of a transparent medium from direct contact with the finger, or other means employed to depress the adjacent portion of the index plate to effect the rotative movement of both finger plate and dial plate as heretofore referredto. By this construction of dial plate the index characters are ex osed flush with the upper surface of the r plate F, or substantially so, thereby giving them prominence.

In the modification of dial plate D, shown the elongate central slot of the plate D, so.

as to adapt the dial plate as a umt, to variatlons in local requirements of service, etc. To this end the mar a1 index ring D", may be notched perip erally as shown in Fig. 21, for engagement with peripheral tongues on the plate D, as shown m Fig. 19, or any other method of adjustable attachment between the plate D, and the index ring D", may be resorted to, as may be found most expedient.

Another important feature of my invention consists in imposing the index characters on my elastic resilient dial plate D, by the use of a self-illuminative material for the formation of such characters, as for instance a radium-chargpd substance, a phosphorous substance, or y other known means the said index characters will be visible and conspicuous under any and all conditions of 120 1n the art of radiant illumination, so that nated for use in conjunction with and normally in direct contact and depressible away from a finger plate of an automatic telephone mechanism, substantially as set forth. 2. In combination with the finger plate of automatic telephone mechanism of the character desi ated, an elastic resilient dial plate ositloned under said finger plate and normally contacting therewith and having index characters coincident with the peripheral holes in said finger plate, for the ulrtplosc and substantially in the manner set 0 .v

3. In combination with the finger late of automatic telephone mechanism 0 the character designated, an elastic resilient dial plate positioned under said finger plate and normally contacting therewith and having mdex characters coincident with the pe-' ripheral holes in said finger plate, said index characters having a protective facing of transparent material, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with the finger plate of automatic telephone mechanism of the character designated, an elastic resilient dial plate positioned under said finger plate and normally contacting therewith and having index characters coincident with the eripheral holes in. said finger plate, said index characters being formed of self-illumiv native material, substantially in the manner and for. the purpose set forth.

FRANK HOWARD. 

